What to Expect (when you're expecting)
by GataChica
Summary: Hank didn't have a condom. Karen wasn't on the pill. The inevitable happens.
1. Chapter 1

**What to Expect... (when you're expecting) Part 1**

Summary: Hank didn't have a condom. Karen wasn't on the pill. The inevitable happens.

**_Prologue – Five weeks after "Hook, Line, and Sinker"_**

Karen woke up with an intense wave of nausea for the third time that week. She immediately ran to the toilet and barely made it before vomiting.

'Oh, no,' she thought while the retching continued. 'No, no, no. This can't be happening.'

When it finally stopped, she carefully brushed her teeth, then went to the kitchen and poured some Cheerios in a bowl. Dry plain cereal was all she could manage in the morning now. She ate it slowly, wondering if she would be late to work again. She had only given vague excuses the other two days, but she could tell Davis was very curious and would probably demand an explanation at some point, mainly because he would be concerned about her health.

Should she tell him what she feared? Could he keep a secret?

She should have gotten her period two and a half weeks ago. Instead, she had a little bit of spotting, tenderness in her breasts, and increasing nausea in the morning. All signs of something she could hardly bear to think about.

Thoughts churned through her mind – what in the world had she been thinking? Why didn't she make use of "Plan B" just in case? It wasn't available off the shelf in Saskatchewan, but it was easy to get by asking the pharmacist.

The problem was that she was so busy denying it even happened she almost convinced herself. After all, why respond to something that didn't happen? By the time she had any sense at all that she was in trouble, it was way too late for Plan B.

Then there was an ordinary abortion. It was not easy to get; she would probably have to go to Alberta. But it was possible as long as she didn't wait too long again.

She tried to think on the bright side. Maybe it really wasn't true; maybe her period was just late. The other symptoms could be her imagination. Or she might have a stomach virus.

She tried to calm her pounding heart as she put on her uniform. First, she needed to find out how likely it was. After work she would drive to a drugstore in Moosejaw – she was not about to take the risk of someone seeing her at the Dog River store! – and buy a pregnancy test. Then she would know.

She was just about to leave the house when the nausea hit again and she raced for the bathroom, then lost her breakfast. Afterward, she sighed, then brushed her teeth again and called Davis to say she would be in late.

_Eight weeks_

"Karen, will you stop pacing?" Davis grumbled. "I'm trying to read here."

Karen stopped momentarily, stared out the window, then began her path around the small police station once more.

"Karen! Can't you go outside and do that?"

"I'm waiting for a phone call... a very important –" The phone rang, and she grabbed the receiver like a cat pouncing on a mouse. "DRPD."

There was a pause while Davis strained to hear the other person on the line. What could be that important?

"Yes, this is Karen Pelly."

Davis still couldn't quite hear, but he saw Karen's shoulders slump as her chin fell to her chest. "Are you sure?"

This time he heard something about a "test," which alarmed him. Was something wrong with his partner? It was true that she had been sick lately...

"All right. Thank you." Karen hung up and let out a deep sigh.

"What's wrong?" Davis asked, getting up from his desk. "Are you sick? What kind of test was it?"

Her face went pale. "Davis! What were you doing listening on my call?"

"I wasn't listening on purpose," he lied. "But I couldn't help overhearing the word test. What's going on? Please tell me." He grasped her arm gently and looked into her eyes.

He could see the indecision on her face, but he didn't try to persuade her, he just waited patiently until it resolved.

"All right, but you have to promise not to tell anyone. Not _anyone_," she stressed.

"I promise."

"Okay." She hesitated for a moment, then forced it out. "I'm pregnant."

Davis looked confused, as if he didn't know what the word meant. "You're what?"

"You know. Pregnant. Expecting. Having a baby."

"Well how did that happen?" At her look of contempt, he hastily continued, "I mean, I know how it happened, but when – who – I mean, I guess it isn't any of my business." He turned to go back to his desk, but she stopped him.

"Davis, think about it. What happened about two months ago that could lead to this?"

"I don't know."

"Come on! Everybody in town knew about it. The fishing trip, remember?"

Davis's eyes grew wide. "Oh my god – are you telling me that _Hank's_ the father?"

"Yep. Happy happy joy joy," she said sarcastically.

"It might not be that bad."

"Are you kidding? It's _Hank_ we're talking about. The kid will probably be just as big an idiot as he is."

Davis didn't know whether to agree with her or not.

"So... what are you going to do about it?"

"What do you mean, 'what am I going to do'?" Her eyes didn't meet his.

He leaned back against his desk. "Look, Karen, you know that I don't personally favor abortion. But, it's your choice. You're my partner and my friend, so I will support you no matter what you decide. I'm just wondering what you're thinking."

Still looking down, she said, "I don't know. I don't _know_. Right now, I'm still sort of in shock, even though I've known for a month that I might be –" There was a catch in her voice, and Davis saw something he had never seen on Karen's face before: tears.

"Oh, Karen," Davis said, walking up to her and putting his arms around her, "it's going to be okay. Don't worry. We'll figure this out." His words, though trite, were said with such kindness that she knew he really meant them.

"I don't want anyone else to know," she choked out as tears ran down her cheeks. "I don't even want _Hank_ to know. Especially since he probably couldn't keep his mouth shut."

"I know you don't want to, but you really should tell him."

"But Davis –"

"It's his baby too. He deserves to know. It's your decision, but shouldn't he have some input?"

Karen sighed once more. "Yeah. I guess you're right. I'll tell him."

_Eight weeks three days_

"Am I in trouble or somethin'?" Hank asked as he walked behind Karen into the police station.

'No, it's me that's in trouble,' Karen thought, then said aloud, "I just need to talk to you. You might want to sit down."

"What for? I like standing. And you're makin' me nervous, Karen."

"Sorry. I guess the best thing is to just say it. Do you remember that fishing trip?"

"Yeah, uh, I thought we weren't gonna talk about that again."

"Well, we have to now."

"Why?"

"Because I'm pregnant."

He didn't react. "Oh, okay."

"Hank, don't you get it? It's your baby!"

"But – what?"

"Listen carefully, Hank: You. Knocked. Me. Up."

"How?"

"_How_?" Karen rolled her eyes. "If you remember, neither of us had a condom."

"Yeah, that's true."

"And I wasn't on the pill or anything."

"You weren't?"

"No. And that was the only time – I mean, it had to be you."

He smiled. "That's cool. I didn't think I would ever get the chance to have a kid."

"You mean you're _happy_ about it?" Karen was startled – it had never occurred to her that Hank might actually _want_ a child.

"Of course, aren't you?"

"Um, no, not really."

"Oh. You – you don't want children?"

"I never really thought about it. I'm a career woman."

"I guess you could go to a doctor and take care of it," he said slowly, "but if you're going to do that, I wish you wouldn't have told me." The smile was gone from his face, even from his eyes.

"I haven't decided yet."

"Do I have any say in it?"

"Well - if you have something to say, I'll listen."

"Okay. Um... I don't know what to say right now. I'll have to think about it."

"Yeah, that's a good idea."

"Does anybody else know? Who can I talk to?"

"Davis knows... but don't you _dare_ tell anyone else! Don't even hint. Not to Brent, not to _anyone_. If you do, I'll sic Wanda on you."

"All right." He paused, thinking for a moment, then added, "If you have the baby, can we share custody?"

"I... I don't know, Hank. Maybe. But only if you start acting like an adult. I have to be able to trust you."

"Ok... um, what exactly does that mean?"

"Get a job. And keep it. I mean a long-term job, not just the occasional handyman job. You should also learn how to take care of kids."

"Do you know anything about kids?"

"Not really," she admitted.

"I guess we'll both learn," he said. "I'll look on the Internet. Anything else? Do you want me to go with you to the doctor appointments?"

"I'll think about it. You just do your part."

"Okay. Got it." He turned to leave, then stopped. "Karen... can I kiss you?"

"What? No!"

"How about a hug?"

She glared at him for a moment then said, "Oh, all right."

He came over to her hesitantly, gave her a quick hug with a surreptitious kiss on the top of her head, then left.

Karen was surprised to realize that she was smiling.

_(the next day)_

Hank walked into Corner Gas and said, "Brent, I need to talk to you about something serious."

"Sure, what is it?"

"I can't tell you."

"Oh. Okay, well, that was a good talk."

"No, I mean... lemme start over." He took a deep breath. "I need a job, Brent, and it's gotta be one I can hold onto."

"No jobs here," Wanda called from the cooler where she was stocking milk. "Move along."

"I didn't mean here," Hank said. "The thing is, you've known me longer than anyone, Brent. What do you think I'd be good at?"

"Mm, well, Hank..." Brent tried to think of something reasonable to say. "Wanda, help me out here. What is Hank good at?"

"Besides annoying me? Maybe we should list what he's not good at."

Emma and Oscar walked in at the same time. "What's who good at?" Emma asked.

"Me," said Hank.

"Oh, are you looking for a job, Hank? You could plant some shrubs for me. You did really good work the last time."

"Sorry, Emma, this has to be a long-term job. I'd be glad to help you out on the side, though."

"Great. You know, Oscar could use some help finishing the bookcase he's making."

"No, I couldn't!" Oscar protested. "It's coming along fine."

"For more than _two years_?"

"These things take time, Emma. I don't need any help, especially not from a jackass like Hank."

Ignoring the slur, Hank said, "Okay, but if you do, let me know. I'll call you up later about the shrubs, Emma. Right now, I've got to find a job."

His next stop was the Ruby, but in the twenty-five seconds it took for him to walk to the cafe, Wanda had called Lacey to warn her.

"I'm sorry, Hank, we don't need any help right now. You could try putting a sign on the bulletin board."

"Hey, that's not a bad idea. Do you have some paper and a pen?"

Lacey rolled her eyes while she found what he needed.

Hank was sitting at the counter making his sign ten minutes later when Jack from the co-op walked behind him. "What are you doing, Hank?"

"Making a 'job needed' sign. Got any jobs available?" Hank looked up hopefully.

"Maybe. Can you come by about..." Jack glanced at his watch. "Three-fifteen?"

"Sure. See ya then."

_Nine weeks_

Hank walked into the station to find both Davis and Karen at their desks reading – Davis had a _Hardy Boys_ novel, while Karen was reading a large paperback book with a dust jacket that said _The Instant Pot Cookbook_, but on the inside, it was _What to Expect When You're Expecting_.

"Hi Hank," Davis said. Karen looked up and nodded.

"Hey, Davis, I need to talk to Karen."

"Sure." He didn't move.

"I think he means privately," Karen said pointedly.

"Yeah," Hank agreed.

Davis stood up and put his book away. "Oh, okay. I'll be outside on the steps," he told Karen.

"What did he mean by that?" Hank asked.

"He's just being supportive. What did you want to tell me?"

"Well, actually, I wanted to ask you something." He reached in the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a small box, which he opened to reveal a narrow gold band. "Will you marry me?"

Karen was so shocked that she couldn't speak for several minutes, she just stared at the ring.

"I know it's not much," Hank added, "but it could be a symbol until I have the money to buy you a better one."

She looked up and saw a seriousness in his expression that she didn't usually associate with Hank. "I – I – that's really sweet of you, Hank, but I don't think it's a good idea."  
"Why not? I got a job. I'm working at the co-op as a stocker five days a week."

"That's great, Hank, but - well, I don't really know how to say this," Karen looked away as she searched for words that wouldn't hurt his feelings, "but we're not in a relationship. We're not even dating. We don't have the kind of feelings for each other that people have when they get married."

"I wouldn't be so sure," he said quietly.

Startled, she looked up and again saw that expression that was so un-Hank-like. "What do you mean?"

"I mean, I've been thinking about this and I realized that I have feelings for you I've never had for anyone before. I'd like to have a relationship with you."

"Are you sure you're not doing this because of the baby?" She felt bad but she had to ask.

"I'm sure. Even if you decide not to have the baby, I still – I still love you, Karen." He took a deep breath. There – the word was said, it was out there between them, there was no going back.

Karen was completely gobsmacked. "I – uh –"

"I understand," he said, closing the box and putting the ring away. "You don't feel that way about me. Well, if you change your mind, let me know; the offer still stands." He left the office, seemingly unfazed by her reaction.

Karen sat down and stared at her desk for several minutes. She didn't even notice when Davis returned.

Finally, he asked, "Are you okay?"

Startled, she looked up. "Yeah... I think." She took a deep breath. "Hank proposed."

"I know."

"You know?"

"Yeah, I went to the city with him to buy the ring."

"Did you talk him into this?" Karen demanded suspiciously.

"No, of course not. In fact, I tried to talk him out of it. I told him you would say no."

"You couldn't have known that."

"I think I know you well enough, Karen. Plus, the way you've talked – you wouldn't 've said those things about Hank if you had feelings for him."

"Oh. Well," she said slowly, "I suppose you're right."


	2. Chapter 2

_**Nine weeks (cont.)**_

"Oh. Well," she said slowly, "I suppose you're right."

"Yeah, I know I am. I should warn you though – he's not going to give up easily."

"Give up what? The proposal? I think it's just a romantic thing that will go away soon. He'll be glad I said no." She opened up her book to continue reading.

Davis looked back at his own book. "We'll see who's right," he said under his breath.

_**Same day, afternoon**_

Hank reported for work with some apprehension. His track record with jobs was abysmal, therefore he usually had barely enough money to get by. His friends were accustomed to him borrowing money constantly, and Lacey had finally realized that trying to get him to pay for his meals at the Ruby was pointless. She had decided – without telling him, of course – to start including his food in the "Promotion and Advertising" budget along with Davis and Karen's coffee, as a tax write-off (S1:E2 "Tax Man"). Hank had always been content with being broke as long as he had enough to eat and could amuse himself by watching TV and hanging out with Brent and Wanda at Corner Gas.

But at this point in his life he knew he'd better do something different; he just wasn't sure what.

Jack met him as he entered the store and took him into the office to sign some paperwork, then gave him a bright green vest to wear.

"Have you ever done stocking?"

"No."

"Well, I'll be honest with you – it's tedious, but it's not difficult. You'll be responsible for the canned goods. We get trucks three times a week on Monday, Thursday, and Saturday, so you'll work Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. All you have to do is fill the shelves, putting the newer cans behind the older ones so that the old ones get sold first. If you get them confused, just look at the dates. Now, let's go in the back and see what was delivered today."

Jack helped him find several cases of soup and load them onto a cart, then he demonstrated by stocking the top shelf. "Got it?" he asked.

"I think so."

"Okay, so finish the rest of the soups, and if you have any questions, let me know. No question is too dumb."

As Hank worked, he felt a little self-conscious, because he could tell that customers were staring at him, trying to figure out if it was really the Hank they knew. First of all, he wasn't wearing his ball cap; second, he _was_ wearing the vest, and third, he was _working._

An hour-and-a-half had passed by the time he finished the soups, so he pushed his cart to the stockroom to find something else. He saw several cases of canned juices marked "end cap," but he didn't know what that meant. Jack didn't seem to be around anywhere, and Hank didn't want to embarrass himself by asking one of the other workers. So, he took the cans to the juice area and stocked them as Jack had instructed.

He was almost finished when he heard Jack's voice. "Hank, what are you doing? Those don't go there!"

Hank was perplexed. "But the labels match."

"Didn't you see where it says 'end cap' on these boxes? That means we're going to put them on the end of an aisle. These go at the end of aisle three."

"I'm sorry, I didn't know what that meant."

"Well, you should have asked me. That's why I said no question is too dumb. Now you'll have to take all those cans off and when you're done with that, I'll show you how to set up the end cap."

By the time Hank got off work, he was feeling dejected and wondering if he was going to be able to do what Karen wanted of him.

_**Same day, evening**_

To cheer himself up, Hank went on the Internet when he arrived home and looked for parenting resources. As he feared, there was nothing in Dog River or any nearby town, but the city – only an hour and a half away – offered classes in several locations. Out of habit, he looked for the cheapest available, then he thought twice about it and looked for the best. Although he intended to pay his share (for real – he wasn't just saying that like usual), he felt sure that Karen would be willing to pay for worthwhile courses.

After some browsing, he found out that some really good classes were free. For example, the YMCA offered prenatal and first-year courses. He would check with Karen to find out which of the Wednesday classes she wanted to take, since that was his day off.

For Hank, the next few days of work were rocky. He forgot about putting new cans behind the old ones, he repeated his end cap mistake, and because his mind was wandering (he was thinking about Karen and the parenting class), he put half the cans of baked beans two aisles away from where they belonged.

"Hank, I don't know if this is going to work out," Jack said bluntly. "You aren't paying attention to what I tell you and you're making too many mistakes."

"But I really need this job," Hank begged. "It's really important. You have no idea how important it is."

"Well, can you explain it to me?"

"I'm supposed to keep it secret." Hank sighed. "But if it'll help, I can tell you part of it. I got a girl pregnant and I want to marry her or at least help with the baby, but she won't let me unless I have a job." He spoke so quickly that it took Jack a moment to process it all.

"Your girlfriend is pregnant? Who is she?"

"I can't tell you. I'll get in big trouble if I do. But please - give me another chance. Help me figure this out."

"Hmmm." Jack sympathized with Hank; he just wasn't sure if the store's budget could cope with paying a worker who wasn't up to par. "All right, Hank, we'll keep trying. Let's make a couple of new rules. First, don't start doing _anything_ until you check with me. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Second, we're going to write down all the rules such as putting new cans behind the old ones and you can study the rules every day before you begin work. Okay?"

"Okay. Thanks, Jack."

_**Ten weeks, Wednesday**_

"Hurry up, Hank," Karen called from the living room. "We have a lot to do today."

"I'm comin'," Hank said. "Just give me a few more minutes." He was in his bedroom getting dressed because they were going to the city, but he couldn't decide what to wear. Finally, he came out dressed in his best jeans and a blue long-sleeved dress shirt. "Is this okay?"

Karen shrugged. "Sure, it's fine. Let's go." She was wearing jeans and a brown long-sleeved shirt. He followed her and got in the passenger seat of her car.

"How's work going?" she asked once they were on the highway.

"Eh, okay. I guess." He didn't want to tell her about the problems he'd been having.

"Just okay? Is there a problem?"

"No, not really. I got it covered." He tried to sound confident, but Karen wasn't buying it. Still, she decided not to confront him. She turned on the radio. "What's your favorite station? I have to warn you, I'm not into country music."

"Me neither," he said with a shudder. "I like 102.7, classic rock. Is that okay?"

"Yeah, I like that one too."

He tuned the radio to the station and for most of the ride they just listened to the music without talking.

They had just passed the city limits sign when Hank asked, "So how are we gonna play this?"

"Play what?"

"I mean, who am I? Obviously, I'm not your husband, and I'm not really your boyfriend..."

"Oh. Well, I guess you can be my birth partner for now."

"What does that mean?"

"A birth partner is someone who helps out during the birth but isn't necessarily the boyfriend or husband; he could be a friend or relative, or it could even be a female."

"So, like a support person?"

"Yeah." She thought for a moment then added, "And by the way, when I say 'birth partner,' don't take that to mean there's definitely going to be a birth. I still haven't made up my mind."

"Oh. Yeah, okay. Hey, Karen, do you want a boy or a girl?"

She was tempted to say 'neither,' but felt it would hurt his feelings needlessly.

"Doesn't matter to me."

Their first stop was the obstetrician's office near downtown where they parked in an underground garage. As they were walking towards the elevator, Hank said, "I feel kinda weird going to one of these lady doctors –"

He was interrupted when Karen suddenly began to fall forwards.

"Hank," she said weakly, stretching her arm towards him. Fortunately, Hank was right beside her, so he was able to catch her as she fell, gently holding her in his arms as he lowered himself to the curb.

A woman coming out of the elevator asked, "Is she all right? Do you need a doctor?"

"No, I think she just fainted. Do women faint when they're pregnant?"

"Yeah, especially in the first three months."

Karen was beginning to open her eyes, so Hank felt sure that she was okay. "Thanks anyway," he told the woman.

"Are you all right?" he asked Karen.

"What happened?" Her voice was low, and her eyes didn't seem to focus.

"You fainted and I caught you." He helped her sit up but continued to support her.

"Oh – thanks." She tried to stand but ended up back in his lap.

"Don't be in a hurry," Hank said. "I'll help you up slowly. Whenever you're ready."

She looked at him gratefully. "Thanks, Hank."

They had been sitting in the waiting room for twenty minutes when the nurse called out, "Karen."

They both stood up, but Karen stopped him. "Wait here."

"We'll probably do a sonogram," the nurse said with a smile. "Don't you think he'd like to see it?"

"Yeah, I would!" Hank said. "I'm the –"

Karen interrupted him. "Do you even know what a sonogram is, Hank?"

"Of course, I do; it's a picture of the baby that they take using sound," he replied, proud of himself for remembering it from the Internet.

"Okay then," said Karen, surprised that he knew. "I guess you can come with me."

She whispered to the nurse, "If you do a pelvic, he has to leave." The nurse nodded in understanding.

Hank carried the envelope containing the sonogram as they returned to the car. "That was the most awesome thing I've ever seen!" he said for about the fifth time.

"Yeah," Karen agreed. Hank noticed that her features had softened a little and her voice was a little dreamy.

"Are you okay, Karen?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she replied, getting into the car. "Hey, we have a couple of hours before the classes start. Why don't we get some food and have a picnic?"

"Fine with me. Wanna go to the waterfall park?"

"Sure." They stopped at a grocery store and picked up some dill pickle chips, sliced turkey, and bread, along with drinks. Hank wanted a beer, but Karen reminded him it was illegal to drink it in public.

"Aw, don't be such a police officer," he complained.

"If you want to have beer, you can buy it yourself and drink it at least 100 meters away from me; that way, I don't have to be involved."

He thought it over for a moment, then decided that the beer was not that important. Not more important than her company at least.

They sat on a big rock near the waterfall and ate their chips and sandwiches without speaking. Karen finished first.

"Davis gave me some stuff to download and print to make a pregnancy journal."

"Really? What kinda stuff?"

"Pages for each month and week, baby showers, places to put sonograms. That sort of thing."

"Cool! Have you printed any of it yet?"

"No, but I thought I would print the sonogram one tonight."

"Can I have a copy?" he asked eagerly.

"Yeah, I can make a copy for you. As long as no one else sees it," she cautioned.

"Don't worry; I've kept it secret this long, haven't I?"

"Yeah. I have to admit you have kept it very well."

"Hey Karen, where were you born? You know where I come from, and a lot of other stuff about me, but I don't know much about you."

She gave him a quick smile. "Well, I was born in Montreal, but I grew up in BC near Vancouver."

"What's it like there? Is it very different from here?"

"Yeah, there's lots of trees, and it's very rainy because it's close to the ocean. The temperatures don't change as much either. When I moved to Saskatchewan, I had to buy a lot more clothes even though most of the time I wear my uniform."

"I've never been anywhere else, so I don't really know anything about other provinces."

"You know that most people in Quebec speak French, right?"

"Yeah, I do know that because of all the things that are bilanguage."

"Bilingual."

"Oh. Yeah, I mean bilingual. Like cans of tomato juice."

"When I was growing up, I went to a French immersion school because my parents wanted me to know both languages."

"What's an immersion school?"

"It means that only the one language is spoken, so the kids learn it naturally like they would from their parents." She hopped off the rock. "We'd better go; I'm not sure where the Y is."

_**Ten weeks, Thursday**_

The next day, Karen told Davis about the fainting incident. "I don't know what would have happened if I had been alone. Plus, I'm beginning to think I can't do my job properly if I have this baby." She was sitting at her desk with a troubled expression, resting her chin in her hands.

"But you _weren't_ alone," Davis said. "That's the important thing."

"What if I was though? What if you needed me to back you up in some police situation? I'm not sure I could do it."

"Well, you know, Karen, something could happen to either one of us at any time. Like, I could have a blood vessel burst in my brain. You could have a seizure. Or I could have a heart attack or a blood clot. It's not likely, but it's possible. This isn't any different. In fact, fainting is safer than any of those things."

"You're not helping, Davis."

"Well, how long were you actually out?"

"I'm not sure," she said.

"Maybe you should ask Hank. I bet it wasn't long at all, and it might make you feel better to know. I bet you recovered really quickly." He started to remind her that for many years he had been the only police officer in Dog River but thought twice about it. Karen was extra sensitive at this point and he did not want her to think she wasn't important.

"All right," she agreed reluctantly. "I'll ask him."

"Great. Can you show me the sonogram now? I've never seen one."

_**Eleven weeks, Wednesday**_

Lacey walked into Corner Gas where Brent was reading a "Captain Canuck" comic book and Wanda was working a crossword as usual. "Hey, you guys, have you seen Hank around?"

Without looking up Wanda said, "He's probably working." Then she raised her head and added, "I can't believe I just said that."

"I thought he was off on Wednesdays," said Lacey.

"Yeah, I think you're right," Brent agreed. "I haven't seen him though." He stared into space for a moment. "Actually, I don't think I saw him last Wednesday either. Maybe he's at my parents. I know my mom wanted him to plant some shrubs."

"Why are you looking for him?" Wanda asked.

"I want him to help Josh buff the floors in the Ruby. I guess I'll call Emma and see if he's there. Can I use your phone?"

"Sure," said Brent, giving her the handset.

The Leroy's phone rang three times. "Hello?"

"Hi, Emma. Is Hank over there?"

"No, I haven't seen him."

"Did he already plant your shrubs?"

"He started them on Sunday and said he'd be back this Sunday to finish. Apparently, he's off on Wednesdays but he has something else to do."

"Oh, okay, thanks." Lacey sighed. "I wonder who else I can get to help? I really don't want to wait until Sunday. Oh, well..." Lacey's voice trailed off behind her as she went through the store and back to the cafe.


End file.
